The world’s largest minority group consists of people with disabilities.
At eighty-percent, developing countries account for the highest percentage of individuals living with disabilities. Across the globe, persons with disabilities are being marginalised and deprived of their capacity under the law.
In India, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill was proposed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee in 2014 but not passed after objections from a variety of non-governmental groups.
One of these non-governmental groups, Vidya Sagar, which advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities within India, felt strongly that the proposed bill did not provide full legal capacity for persons with disabilities, nor contained satisfactory anti-discriminatory provisions.
Through Trustlaw, the organisation was connected to Linklaters and five other law firms to develop a guide analysing laws governing disabilities and the implementation of the UNCRPD in eleven countries. The guide contributes to the understanding of how different countries interpret and apply ‘legal capacity” of people with disabilities, and highlights best practices to guide advocacy efforts for legal reform.
“The potential impact was clear from the start. The project stretched and challenged our lawyers outside their typical legal focus and allowed them to work on a cross-border initiative. Also, it was an excellent opportunity to strengthen our relationships with other in-house corporate lawyers and international law firms” said Meera Dadia, Global Pro Bono Manager at Linklaters.
The study serves as a vital tool for the disability sector in India to lobby for the effective recognition of full legal capacity in any new disability legislation, and to advocate for other legislation which aligns with the CRPD’s protocol.
Read more here.
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This project has been nominated for the 2015 TrustLaw Impact Award. Learn more about the TrustLaw Awards.
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